McCarter to Present Handel's Messiah, Nutcracker Suite This December
By: BWW News Desk Nov. 09, 2016
These presentations are a part of McCarter Theatre Center's Music and Signature Series, which are curated by Special Programming Director William W. Lockwood, the driving force behind McCarter Theatre Center's reputation as one of the premiere arts presenters in the country.
The 2016-2017 Signature Series is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The 2016-2017 Music Series is sponsored by the Edward T. Cone Foundation.
McCarter Theatre Center is supported by Princeton University, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and over 3,000 individuals, corporations, and foundations. McCarter Theatre is located at 91 University Place in Princeton, NJ. For more information, visit www.mccarter.org.
HANDEL'S MESSIAH
THE NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY CHAMBER ORCHESTRA - George Manahan, CONDUCTOR
featuring: Patricia Schuman, soprano; Mary Phillips, mezzo-soprano; Ryan MacPherson, tenor; David Pittsinger,
bass-baritone; Montclair State University Singers, Heather J. Buchanan, conductor
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16 - 7:30 p.m., Richardson Auditorium
One of the most magnificent achievements in music, Handel's Messiah is an annual holiday season must-see for music lovers everywhere. For what is quickly becoming a holiday tradition, McCarter joins forces with the New Jersey Symphony and the Montclair State University Singers to offer Handel's masterpiece at Richardson Auditorium on the Princeton University campus. This performance is a joint presentation of McCarter Theatre and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.
Tickets for Handel's Messiah are $25 - 80 and are on sale now at the McCarter Theatre Center Ticket Office, by phone at 609-258-2787, or online at www.mccarter.org.
TCHAIKOVSKY's NUTCRACKER
Arranged for piano solo and performed by STEWART GOODYEAR
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16 - 8 p.m., Berlind Theatre
Proclaimed "a phenomenon" by the Los Angeles Times and "one of the best pianists of his generation" by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Stewart Goodyear is an accomplished pianist as a concerto soloist, chamber musician, recitalist and composer. His landmark 2013 McCarter concert, performing all of Beethoven's 32 sonatas from memory, is still remembered among classical music lovers at McCarter. Now, Goodyear returns with a unique holiday concert, performing his arrangement of the complete Nutcracker Suite for piano.
Released in 2015, Goodyear's transcription of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker (Complete Ballet), was chosen by The New York Times as one of the best classical music recordings of the year.
According to Allmusic.com, Goodyear's piano arrangement of the work is "a fascinating example of the art of transcription, and the pianist deserves credit not only for his ingenious handling of Tchaikovsky's orchestration in terms of the keyboard's sonorities, but also for playing with close attention to details and tone colors that give the music its fantastic character."
In a 2015 interview with the Huffington Post, Goodyear added: "I was always thinking about doing a Christmas album. That's when the idea of The Nutcracker came around. After I transcribed the march, I went to the full score. I was delighted to find how pianistic everything was. I decided to do the whole thing. My mission was to make sure the listener could see choreography and feel the dance-like qualities. That was my criteria when it came to arranging this for piano. All the orchestration was incorporated and, at the same time, its rhythm and grace. The Nutcracker is a brilliant masterstroke of musical storytelling."
Click here for a video excerpt of Stewart Goodyear performing selections from The Nutcracker.
Tickets for Stewart Goodyear are $50 and are on sale now at the McCarter Theatre Center Ticket Office, by phone at 609-258-2787, or online at www.mccarter.org.
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